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Impact of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on Aquatic Animals:...
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Impact of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on Aquatic Animals: Immunotoxicity, Endocrine Disruption, and Beyond

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecotoxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3923

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maurizio Manera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biosciences, Food and Environmental Technologies, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, TE, Italy
Interests: toxicologic pathology; environmental pathology; experimental pathology; cellular pathology; ultrastructural pathology; fish pathology; histopathological biomarkers; ultrastructural biomarkers; histopathological image analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Luisa Giari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: aquatic ecotoxicology; emerging contaminants; fish health and diseases; fish histopathology and immunology; histological biomarkers; environmental parasitology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are a focal point in toxicology and environmental sciences due to their profound implications for ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Among CECs, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are particularly worrisome in aquatic environments, where they are ubiquitous, with concentrations ranging from undetectable levels to micrograms per liter, and often persistent.

Aquatic fauna consistently face PFAS exposure, potentially serving as a pathway for human contamination through the food chain. Moreover, these animals offer valuable insights into PFAS toxicology, environmental pathology, and the One Health approach. Literature data on PFAS effects have increased greatly in the last 10 years but sometimes provide conflicting indications and still leave knowledge gaps on the exact mechanisms of toxicity, the response of organisms to environmentally relevant concentrations, and the risk posed by the new generation PFAS, which are poorly investigated.

The principal objective of the Special Issue is to advance our comprehension of the health consequences of PFAS contamination in aquatic environments, especially the effects of PFAS on the immune and endocrine systems, which play a pivotal role in enabling aquatic animals to cope with environmental stressors and, ultimately, determine their overall health and fitness. This perspective offers a distinctive exploration of the intricate interplay between these systems and others, shedding light on critical aspects of ecological and individual well-being.

This Special Issue aims to ignite comprehensive discussions on the impact of PFAS on aquatic animals, with a specific focus on immunotoxicity and endocrine disruption, and to consider the wider implications of these effects on interconnected biological systems based on a multidisciplinary approach spanning toxicology, pathology, and omic disciplines.

We expect this Special Issue will be of significant interest to researchers and professionals in the fields of toxicology, ecotoxicology, environmental sciences, and public health as it addresses an urgent matter of concern with extensive repercussions for both the natural world and human well-being.

New research papers, based on natural or experimental exposure to PFAS, as well as reviews, are welcome for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Maurizio Manera
Dr. Luisa Giari
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • new and old PFAS
  • animal model
  • one health
  • biomarker
  • immune system
  • endocrine system
  • toxic effects
  • in vivo and in vitro exposures

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2751 KiB  
Article
Effects of Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) on Amphibian Body and Liver Conditions: Is Lipid Metabolism Being Perturbed throughout Metamorphosis?
by Anna Bushong, Maria Sepúlveda, Meredith Scherer, Abigail C. Valachovic, C. Melman Neill, Sophia Horn, Youn Choi, Linda S. Lee, Priyanka Baloni and Tyler Hoskins
Toxics 2024, 12(10), 732; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12100732 - 10 Oct 2024
Viewed by 944
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may interact with peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) and alter lipid homeostasis. Using Xenopus laevis, we investigated the effect of PFAS on (a) lipid homeostasis and whether this correlated to changes in body and hepatic condition; (b) [...] Read more.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may interact with peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) and alter lipid homeostasis. Using Xenopus laevis, we investigated the effect of PFAS on (a) lipid homeostasis and whether this correlated to changes in body and hepatic condition; (b) the expression of hepatic genes regulated by PPAR; and (c) the hepatic lipidome. We chronically exposed tadpoles to 0.5 µg/L of either PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA, PFHxA, a binary mixture of PFOS and PFHxS (0.5 µg/L of each), or a control, from NF stage 52 through metamorphic climax. Growth, development, and survival were not affected, but we detected a sex-specific decrease in body condition at NF 66 (6.8%) and in hepatic condition (16.6%) across metamorphic climax for male tadpoles exposed to PFOS. We observed weak evidence for the transient downregulation of apolipoprotein-V (apoa5) at NF 62 in tadpoles exposed to PFHxA. Acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (acox1) was downregulated only in males exposed to PFHxS (Ln(Fold Change) = −0.54). We detected PFAS-specific downregulation of structural glycerophospholipids, while semi-quantitative profiling detected the upregulation in numerous glycerophospholipids, sphingomyelins, and diglycerides. Overall, our findings indicate that PFAS can induce sex-specific effects that change across larval development and metamorphosis. We demonstrate that PFAS alter lipid metabolism at environmentally relevant concentrations through divergent mechanisms that may not be related to PPARs, with an absence of effects on body condition, demonstrating the need for more molecular studies to elucidate mechanisms of PFAS-induced lipid dysregulation in amphibians and in other taxa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on Aquatic Animals: Immunotoxicity, Endocrine Disruption, and Beyond)
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12 pages, 4531 KiB  
Article
Adverse Outcomes Following Exposure to Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) in Larval Zebrafish (Danio rerio): A Neurotoxic and Behavioral Perspective
by Nikita David, Emma Ivantsova, Isaac Konig, Cole D. English, Lev Avidan, Mark Kreychman, Mario L. Rivera, Camilo Escobar, Eliana Maira Agostini Valle, Amany Sultan and Christopher J. Martyniuk
Toxics 2024, 12(10), 723; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12100723 - 4 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1127
Abstract
Toxicity mechanisms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a chemical class present in diverse ecosystems, as well as many of their precursors, have been increasingly characterized in aquatic species. Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA, C8H2F17NO2S) is a common [...] Read more.
Toxicity mechanisms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a chemical class present in diverse ecosystems, as well as many of their precursors, have been increasingly characterized in aquatic species. Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA, C8H2F17NO2S) is a common precursor of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a long-chain PFAS. Here, we assessed sub-lethal endpoints related to development, oxidative stress, transcript levels, and distance moved in zebrafish embryos and larvae following continuous exposure to PFOSA beginning at 6 h post-fertilization (hpf). PFOSA decreased survival in fish treated with 1 µg/L PFOSA; however, the effect was modest relative to the controls (difference of 10%). Exposure up to 10 µg/L PFOSA did not affect hatch rate, nor did it induce ROS in 7-day-old larvae fish. The activity of larval fish treated with 100 µg/L PFOSA was reduced relative to the solvent control. Transcripts related to oxidative stress response and apoptosis were measured and BCL2-associated X, apoptosis regulator (bax), cytochrome c, somatic (cycs), catalase (cat), superoxide dismutase 2 (sod2) were induced with high concentrations of PFOSA. Genes related to neurotoxicity were also measured and transcript levels of acetylcholinesterase (ache), elav-like RNA binding protein 3 (elavl3), growth-associated protein 43 (gap43), synapsin II (syn2a), and tubulin 3 (tubb3) were all increased in larval fish with higher PFOSA exposure. These data improve our understanding of the potential sub-lethal toxicity of PFOSA in fish species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on Aquatic Animals: Immunotoxicity, Endocrine Disruption, and Beyond)
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17 pages, 4489 KiB  
Article
Segmentation of Renal Thyroid Follicle Colloid in Common Carp: Insights into Perfluorooctanoic Acid-Induced Morphometric Alterations
by Maurizio Manera and Luisa Giari
Toxics 2024, 12(5), 369; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12050369 - 17 May 2024
Viewed by 1148
Abstract
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a globally prevalent contaminant of concern recognised for its persistence and detrimental effects on both wildlife and humans. While PFOA has been established as a disruptor of thyroid function, limited data exist regarding its impact on thyroid morphology. The [...] Read more.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a globally prevalent contaminant of concern recognised for its persistence and detrimental effects on both wildlife and humans. While PFOA has been established as a disruptor of thyroid function, limited data exist regarding its impact on thyroid morphology. The kidney of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) harbours numerous thyroid follicles, rendering it a valuable biomarker organ for investigating PFOA-induced thyroid alterations. Renal tissue slides, stained with the Alcian blue/PAS method, were examined from carp in three experimental groups: unexposed, exposed to 200 ng L−1, and exposed to 2 mg L−1 of PFOA over 56 days. Thyroid follicle colloids were segmented, and related morphometric parameters, including perimeter, area, and shape descriptors, were obtained. Statistical analyses revealed significant reductions in thyroid follicle colloid perimeter and area in the 200 ng L−1 PFOA group compared to the unexposed and 2 mg L−1 PFOA groups. Additionally, the fish exposed to PFOA exhibited a significantly higher follicle count compared to the unexposed fish. These findings collectively suggest that PFOA induces thyroid folliculogenesis, emphasising its impact on thyroid morphology even at an environmentally relevant concentration (200 ng L−1). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on Aquatic Animals: Immunotoxicity, Endocrine Disruption, and Beyond)
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